Beginner's Guide to Cruising

Flying the Flags

by Arline Bleecker

When you've been out on deck, you've probably seen them flapping in the ocean
breeze, but how many of you have the faintest notion of what a ship's flags
signify? Keep reading, and you can impress your shipmates next time with your
knowledge of their arcane symbolism.

Assorted maritime flags that flutter on every ship testify to centuries of
seafaring heritage and tradition. According to Captain Tom Thomason,
Carnival's director of corporate shipbuilding, a ship's flags are "almost
ritual and prescribed." Even today--when sophisticated technologies have
supplanted flags as primary communications tools--ships "still follow correct
methods, manners and mores concerning them," he said.

We're not only talking about so-called national "flags of convenience"--i.e.,
by registering ships in countries like Liberia, the Bahamas and Panama,
cruise lines save a bundle in corporate taxes, and sometimes are even
immunized from regulatory oversight. That's another story.

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We're talking about an array of colorful flags and pennants that fly forward,
aft or topside on a ship. These actually speak an ancient and obscure
tongue, but a curious or observant passenger can learn a lot by interpreting
their iconic language.

Thomason succinctly sums them up this way, from the ship's point of view: "A
flag says who I am, what I am and what I'm doing."

From antiquity, when nothing more than a pair of eyes or a set of spyglasses
linked ships at sea, sailors used flags to communicate. Flags function the
same way today, Thomason says: "Albeit often used differently than they
originally were on medieval ships and warships, they serve the same purpose."

The earliest flags were fairly basic: A ship flew its nation's flag to convey
"I'm an English, American or Spanish ship," Thomason says. Eventually,
specific flags were added for "courtesy," as when a ship is in foreign
waters. A Spanish warship sailing into another country's harbor with
peaceful intentions also flew that nation's flag "to send a clear sign its
intent was innocent." This is not to say that pirates wouldn't occasionally
fly a misleading flag as a tactical deception. One can easily imagine a ship
flying one flag on approach, then suddenly switching to the Jolly Roger in a
surprise attack.

But even though they no longer constitute a ship's first line of
communication, flags are not flown arbitrarily. A definite protocol
prevails. The logic to flags and where on a ship they fly is almost defined
by the wind, Thomason says. Years ago, a ship would fly its national
registry flag aft and high, so it would be perfectly visible. Over the
years, as the design of new ships moved the main masts forward, so goes that
flag--though when a ship is at anchor or in port, it still flies at the
stern.

Flags of national registry are not same as flags of owners. The "house" or
company flag usually flies on a short foremast at the ship's bow. This flag
falls into Thomason's "who I am" category. Princess Cruises' house flag, for
instance, depicts four colored triangles--blue and white from the Portuguese
national flag and red and yellow from Spain's, colors that reflect the
origins of Princess' British parent company, P&O, back in the days when it
traded with Spain and Portugal.

Other flags constitute the equivalent of a typesetter's arsenal. Forty
colorful and geometric flags comprise a complete communications system: 26
flags denoting each letter of the alphabet, 10 denoting the numerals from 0
through 9, plus an "answering" pennant and three substitutes. The specific
meanings of all these flags were defined by international agreement in 1902.

In addition to representing a single letter of the alphabet, a given flag
also stands for a short phrase, a shorthand code that describes something,
Thomason says. For example, the square red flag--"B" or phonetic
"bravo"--communicates caution. "It says 'I'm doing something a bit
hazardous'," Thomason explains. This flag flies on the foremast during
refueling. Navy ships hoist it when loading munitions.

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Within 20 minutes of entering and leaving port, look for a half-red,
half-white flag--"H" or phonetic "hotel"--that pops up on the foremast. It
indicates that a harbor pilot is on board. When the pilot departs, the flag
comes down.

Likewise, when your ship approaches a foreign port, a square yellow flag on
the foremast "sends a signal to harbor authorities... to get ready to come
aboard and do their immigration thing," Thomason says.

A flag you may want to particularly notice is the "blue P"--phonetic "pappa,"
also commonly called the blue peter. Fluttering from a starboard yard, this
flag's white square against a dark-blue field says the ship will be pushing
off within 24 hours.

Some flags you should hope you never see. The descending blue, white and red
squares of the "W"--or phonetic "whiskey"--indicate a medical emergency on
board. But should you spot the diagonally divided red and yellow "O"
flag--phonetic "Oscar"--look over the rail, Thomason says: It means "man
overboard."

And what about those flags often rigged like laundry from stem to stern?
It's called "dressing the ship." While the array of alphanumeric flags isn't
exactly a pointless potpourri of pennants, the arrangement is customarily
strung only for pleasant appearance and shape. Mischievous crew members,
though, have been known to engineer some unwanted phrase making here,
Thomason admits: "I've had a couple of sailors put up a few with, shall we
say, sailor-like language."

Indeed, flags in combination can convey infinite messages. At the simplest
level, as when several fly from top to bottom on a mast, they indicate a
ship's call letters.

But should you doubt how much of import they impart, Thomason tells this
classic story. On the morning of October 21, 1805, as the British fleet
sailed into action against the combined fleets of France and Spain, the
flagship Victory hoisted the most famous flag signal in naval history. The
nine-word message--intended to encourage Nelson's men at Trafalgar--spelled
out "England expects that every man will do his duty."

Duly bolstered, they did, and Britain won the battle that changed the face of
Europe. Concludes Thomason: "That's why that statue of Nelson stands in
Trafalgar Square today, and not the Spanish king."